Left me a bit chilly in many respects, not least the poor portrayal of the American vernacular. But what do I know? I'm just a gum-smacking, muscle-bound, big-haired, "like"-riddled hayseed.

I had never read anything by le Carré before and picked this up for $2 at a used book sale. I am impressed. I was expecting it to be a lot more pulpy than it was. Sure, some of the characters are fairly one dimensional but the plotting is complex without being silly and thankfully there are no terribly written sex scenes. Plus the level of moral ambiguity and ambiguous ending mean the book had an effect on me after I read the last page.

I am now inspired to go back and read his classics about Smiley and the Cold War!

Tenía la duda de si le Carré escribía chido o no, si realmente eran buenas las novelas en las que están basadas las películas o sólo tenía interesantes ideas que sirven de base para una buena película.
La respuesta es que sí sabe escribir. Tiene talento para construir una situación de espías modernos con dilemas morales, fiel a la tradición de Graham Green.
Es imposible hacer comparativas con la adaptación cinematográfica, en especial, si la viste antes de leer el libro. Esto se debe a que es una excelente adaptación, aunque tenga sus variaciones, pero que no alteran en nada la trama del libro.

Y sí, el final es igual de tenso o más que en la película.

3 1/2 stars.
Maybe I missed the clues but the ending was unexpected... on reflection however, of course it must end that way in a post 9/11 world.

really liked the talk between the banker and the guy from british intelligence. blackmail on the highest level.

I read this after seeing the really wonderful film adaptation. There are, of course, some differences.

I have to say, that while I enjoyed the cynical outlook and the conflicts within all the characters, I found Issa's character to be really annoying, which I guess is the point.

This is the emerging John Le Carre, still the master of the rich characters caught up in espionage, intrigue and suspense, but also probing one by the one the dark corners of the modern Empire.